Page 18 - EW June 2023

Editorial

EXASPERATION WITH DOUBLE TAXATION bourgeoisie.
And although the prime minister
addressed 19 rallies and six roadshows
he recently concluded legislative seen through the BJP’s old hat Hindu in the state, he totally side-stepped
assembly election in Karnataka vote consolidation and anti-minorities these grave allegations, giving sub-
Twon by the Congress party with election strategy. If the party leader- stance to the ‘folklore of corruption’
an absolute majority, offers several ship had its ear close to the ground, it that the money collected goes all
important lessons for politicians and would have discerned pervasive fear the way to the top. This deep-rooted
citizens of all hues and ideological of unemployment and an upskilling ‘double taxation’ system in the state
persuasions. Driven by transforma- panic among the state’s — indeed the has exasperated even the middle class.
tional new digital technologies and country’s — youth who now form the Hence the BJP rout.
instant communication provided by majority of voters. Yet the auguries are not good. The
social media, electorates across the The second cause of the BJP’s rout Congress victory was largely facili-
country are not what they were ten — is its failure to check — forget about tated by an expanded public welfare
even five — years ago. Although the rooting out — corruption which has promise which will have to be funded
neta-babu brotherhood is doing its become deeply entrenched within the by increased taxation of the middle
best to keep the mass of the citizenry administrative system. Every govern- class, already fed up with the state’s
steeped in ignorance and poverty by ment service provided to the citizen ‘double taxation’ system (official and
continuing to neglect education — the comes at a price. It is easier for a camel unofficial taxes). This could discour-
national outlay for public education to enter the eye of a needle than for age private investment, if not capital
(Centre plus states) remains static at citizens to emerge from a property flight. There’s a leadership fight in
3-4 percent of GDP and Karnataka’s sub-registrar’s office without paying a the Karnataka Congress, and reha-
public education system is riven with bribe. Government — including police bilitated Congress dynasty leader
teacher recruitment rackets, highly and teachers jobs — carry a price tag. Rahul Gandhi is vilifying India’s few
adverse teacher-pupil ratios, language Every service from provision of water, world-class private industry leaders —
chauvinism and particularly English electricity, and license to issuance of Ambani-Adani — and seems hell-bent
teaching-learning aversion — young a death certificate, requires palm on reimposing neta-babu socialism
citizens have shown amazing capacity greasing of relatively well-remuner- which devastated post-independence
and capability to self-learn. Therefore, ated government servants who have India. More like Tweedledum replac-
the incrementally young electorate has transformed into a callous lumpen ing Tweedledee.

FOOT-DRAGGING ON SKILLS DEVELOPMENT thing from incense sticks and ganesha
images to cast iron forgings and motor
car accessories, and cramming them
report released early last ly titled Union ministry of education, into giant steel containers for import
month (April) by the transna- skills and entrepreneurship presided into India. Small wonder that India’s
A tional accounting and corpo- over with glacial calm by Dharmendra bilateral trade deficit with China has
rate consultancy firm Ernst & Young Pradhan, impervious to all calls for in- crossed over $100 billion. Indeed
and iMocha — billed as the world’s terview by this specialist publication without imports from China, Indian
leading skills intelligence and skills for education and human resource de- industry would be devastated.
assessment platform — titled Tech velopment. Yet as the overtly manifest Expectedly, the new National Edu-
Skills Transformation — Navigat- shabby construction and maintenance cation Policy (NEP) 2020 makes right
ing the Future of Work in 2025 and of the country’s expensive infrastruc- noises about vocational education for
Beyond reveals a huge deficit of ad- ture — roads, bridges, railways, power children from young age. It recom-
equately technology skilled person- plants and civic infrastructure — tes- mends that children start learning
nel beyond “traditional IT” in Indian tifies, skilling generation next and a vocational skill from class VI. But
industry. The report says a significant upskilling the generation currently in it muddies this recommendation by
majority, or 81 percent of surveyed employment — especially labour em- making a populist, politically correct
organisations acknowledged encoun- ployed in MSMEs — needs to become suggestion that they apprentice with
tering shortages in “power user or an urgent national priority. rural artisans to acquire hands-on
developer” tech skills. Merely 19 per- In his seminal book India’s China VET.
cent of organisations reported having Challenge (2020), Ananth Krishnan, a This is inadvisable because of poor
established a skill taxonomy. China expert, recounts that because of education and continuous depriva-
Presumably, the companies sur- sustained investment in primary and tion of modern tools and technol-
veyed covered a cross section of In- vocational education, China’s Town ogy, rural artisans aren’t equipped to
dian companies including MSMEs and Village Enterprises (TVEs) have shape students and youth into tech-
(medium and small scale enterprises) played a major role in transforming nically competent, high productiv-
which contribute 30 percent of GDP our neighbour nation into the manu- ity shopfloor and other workers that
and employ over 40 percent of the factures factory of the world. He recalls Indian industry — and agriculture —
420 million personnel employed in visiting a TVE sales exhibition “the urgently needs. Twenty-first century
Indian industry. This report should size of ten football fields” thronged by India’s most pressing problem is not
send alarm bells ringing in the grand- traders from India purchasing every- unemployment, it’s unemployability.

18 EDUCATIONWORLD JUNE 2023